"The Botfly in My Head," the latest episode from the online wildlife video series NatureBreak, went viral last week, earning over 130,000 views on YouTube and thousands more on other video sites in just one week. The under-five-minute video documents wildlife filmmaker Vanessa Serrao's ordeal with a human botfly larva living under her skin on the back of her head. A multitude of viewers commented that the video is both informative and entertaining.

Silver Spring, MD (PRWEB) September 16, 2009 -- "The Botfly in My Head," the latest episode from the online wildlife video series NatureBreak, www.NatureBreak.org, went viral last week, earning over 130,000 views on YouTube and thousands more on other video sites in just one week.

The under-five-minute video documents wildlife filmmaker Vanessa Serrao's ordeal with a human botfly larva living under her skin on the back of her head. In the video, Serrao's husband, Greg Hiemenz, pulls the one-inch-long maggot from Serrao's head using a pair of tweezers. "I couldn't sleep because I heard the botfly crunching on my head," says Serrao. "That's when I knew we needed to take it out right away. I also knew I had to film this once-in-a-lifetime experience."

YouTube viewers gave the video a perfect five-star rating and fans reposted it on twenty-five other websites including popthatzit.com and boingboing.net. "She is really brave!!! I would have been freakin' out!" and "Awesome!" are two of the over 400 comments left by viewers on NatureBreak's YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/user/NatureBreak.

"The Botfly in My Head" fulfills NatureBreak's mission of providing entertaining and educational nature videos. Unlike other botfly extraction videos that simply showcase the gross act of removing the larva, "The Botfly in My Head" also conveys biological information about the insect like its incubation period and method of transmission. A BoingBoing member called it "a very well made and informative short video."

Serrao contracted the parasite while on a filming expedition in Belize, but only discovered it in her head one month later. As seen in the video, Serrao and Hiemenz first attempted to remove the larva by putting a smoke-filled beer bottle over the larva's breathing hole, a technique recommended by locals in Belize. When this did not work, a doctor shaved a patch of Serrao's hair and put medical tape over the breathing hole. Once the maggot died, Hiemenz pulled it out.